


Five Times Daisuke Upset Mao, and One Time He Made It Right

by fir8008



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF
Genre: Canon Related, Developing Relationship, F/M, Five Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 15:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1392202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fir8008/pseuds/fir8008
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daisuke has an unfortunate talent for upsetting Mao without meaning to. But he'll make it right as their relationship grows with many a bump along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Daisuke Upset Mao, and One Time He Made It Right

**Author's Note:**

> *whisper* Let's pretend all of Team Japan just trains in the same place, yes?
> 
> *sigh* I can never write happy things for long... and this turned out much longer than I expected.
> 
> This is purely fictional! Enjoy!

1 – _You are my strange new world_.

The first time Daisuke upsets Mao is when he accidentally walks in on her changing.  


He feels really creepy about the whole situation because the girl is barely legal (she’s eighteen but he feel so much _older_ ) and she screamed at him at such a high frequency. He’s never heard Mao’s voice go that high and, crap, he doesn’t want to ever again. What’s worse is that he can’t get her skinny frame and white skin out of his head.  


He thinks he’s made her angry (he’d be angry at himself) so he does his best to avoid her. He sees nothing wrong with this approach so it goes on for a few weeks. He doesn’t know how long it takes for a girl to get over something like that, so he continues keeping his distance until one day after practice, Akiko walks over and smacks him.  


He sputters as Akiko glares. “Mind telling me why you’re ignoring Mao? She’s very upset.”  


“I thought she was mad at me!” Daisuke says.  


“She’s not but now she’s upset because you aren’t man enough to just apologize to her!”  


Daisuke gapes. Akiko huffs and stomps away.  


How exactly do you apologize for being a dumbass?  


And he _still_ can’t get her skin out of his head.

  


2 – _Do you feel like a man when you push her around_?

The second time Daisuke upsets Mao is when he’s finally become fed up with her boyfriend.  


Daisuke has no idea where Mao dug this guy up, but he’s foreign student and he and Mao are both nineteen. Daisuke has only seen him in passing and from the chatter of the other girls he’s gathered the boyfriend speaks decent Japanese. He seems like the ideal man and Mao seems absolutely enamored. Yet, something seems off about their relationship. Some mornings Mao comes to the rink with full makeup on, which seems silly to Daiuske. Akiko looks worried too. She implies that the boyfriend has an anger problem and Daisuke’s stomach drops.  


Daisuke validates this one day during training. “Like this, Mao-chan.” Daisuke grasps Mao by the wrist and she hisses in pain and jerks away. Daisuke is alarmed. “Mao-chan, are you hurt?” He reaches for her again but she recoils.  


“It’s nothing!” she says hastily.  


Daisuke pulls her to him and pushes up her sleeve. His eyes bulge at the sight of ugly purple bruises encircling her wrist. Mao tugs her arm away and fixes her sleeve.  


“Who did that to you?” Daisuke whispers. He can already guess.  


“He didn’t mean to.” Mao whimpers. “It won’t happen again.”  


Daisuke can feel the blood pounding in his ears. He’s off the ice in record time. Akiko tries stopping him but he breaks free of her.  


“Daisuke, don’t do something rash.” She warns.  


“He’s _hurting_ her, Akiko. I can’t be anything but rash.” Daisuke rasps.  


He’s waiting for Mao outside the rink, as he normally does, and his eyebrows raise at Daisuke’s approach. Mao’s boyfriend might have height over Daisuke, but Daisuke has sheer fury. He shoves the kid so hard he goes toppling against the cold concrete. Daisuke hauls him up by the collar and shakes him roughly.  


“If I find out you put your hands on Mao one more time I am going to skate over your throat, am I understood?”  


The kid nods, his eyes wide with shock. Daisuke drops him and storms back into the rink.  


The next day, Mao marches up to him. Her face is covered in thick makeup and Daisuke knows if he were to wipe it off there’d be bruises marring her pale skin.  


“He told me you pushed him and threatened him.” Mao says without preamble.  


Daisuke’s blood boils. “He’s not allowed to hit you, Mao.”  


“I can take care of myself.”  


“You shouldn’t let him hit you!”  


“Stop treating me like a baby!” Mao shouts. “I can take care of myself.”  


“I care about you, Mao. This guy is bad for you!”  


Akiko steps in and pulls Mao aside. “Don’t fight here,” she says. Daisuke opens his mouth to protest but Akiko shakes her head and mouths, “later.”  


“You did the right thing yesterday.” Akiko tells him later. They’re watching the juniors practice jumping. “You upset her though. She thinks that you regard her as a child. She doesn’t want to be a child to you.”  


Daisuke doesn’t know how to apologize for that.

  


3 – _What did I do wrong? I need you. I love you_. 

Eventually Mao and her boyfriend break up and he returns to his country. Daisuke bitterly bids him good riddance. There are more important things to worry about now. Namely the upcoming Olympics.  


For him personally, he’s seeking some redemption for his performance at Torino. He started off strongly but dropped to eighth place after the short program. He’s aiming for the podium this time.  


The practices are exhausting and his body is finding it intolerable. He isn’t even that old and he feels every landing and his whole body feels weak. Mao attacks her programs with vigor. This is her inaugural Olympics and the press is already hyping up the rivalry she shares with the South Korean figure skater. Daisuke doesn’t know Yuna Kim well, but he knows she can skate and she and Mao have shared the podium before. He knows she feels the pressure. He feels it too.  


“Smile, Mao-chan,” he tells her, albeit soullessly. He’s exhausted too. “The Olympics are a privilege.”  


“I’ll smile when I win,” she answers tightly.  


Later Akiko will tell him that Mao’s mother has fallen ill. Daisuke will feel idiotic for not knowing and unsure of how to approach Mao after that. They continue to train, Daisuke feeling more and more fragile with each landing. Mao looks flawless and untouchable to him, but he still worries. She’s carrying an extra burden.  


Their lives seem to be an endless cycle of training. Daisuke is antsy to skate. He wonders if Nobu and Taka feel the same way. Only he and Miki have had an Olympic experience before. He hopes she’s helping the others, especially Mao.  


He skates. He medals. Bronze is heavy around his neck.  


She skates. She medals. Silver. There are tears in her eyes.  


He watches her. He knows that she isn’t crying because she lost to her rival, she’s crying because she can’t go home to her ailing mother with a gold medal.  


He wants to comfort her. “You did your best, Mao-chan. There’s nothing else you could’ve done.”  


She looks up at him, eyes swimming with something akin to disbelief. Daisuke kicks himself immediately. He’s said something unintentionally callous again. Mao stands up calmly and marches away. Later, he accepts Akiko’s berating with his head hung.  


He sighs heavily. He’s upset her again.

  


4 – _I brace myself because I know it’s going to hurt_.

Daisuke somehow manages to find the time to date. She’s a pretty girl, she dresses well, and she always smells like expensive perfume. He likes her a lot.  


He miraculously manages to balance spending time with her and training. It’s the off-season, and the rink is quieter. Some of the skaters have jobs outside of skating so they’re scarce to be seen during these times. Daisuke stays on the ice, polishing jumps, widening his repertoire. He’s heard some news about the others, like how Mao was seriously considering quitting, but he isn’t sure if he should believe that. He hears Miki’s dating someone. He hears the juniors keep getting better and better. Soon they’ll be coming for his spot. So he keeps practicing.  


He’s not surprised when Mao returns to the rink, though he is surprised by her demeanor. The stoic girl he remembers is smiling now. He finds it odd, considering her mother has passed, but decides not to think too much of it. His head shouldn’t be filled with Mao when he has a girlfriend.  


It surprises him much, much more when he sees Mao and, of all the people, _Takahiko_ have become so close. Of course, Daisuke knows the two are friends; they were juniors at the same time and they share a coach. At the same time, Daisuke doesn’t know what to make of their sudden closeness. Paired with Mao’s new sunny expressions, Daisuke wonders if Takahiko is part of the reason.  


Honestly, he’s jealous, but he tries not to dwell on it. He likes his girlfriend; all of his friends like his girlfriend. They think she’s good for him. He agrees. She doesn’t know much about figure skating so she’s a nice breath of fresh air when he’s off the ice. She’s a sweet girl, but he can’t stop the biting jealousy inside of him when he sees Takahiko and Mao together.  


“They suit each other,” Nobunari says and Daisuke chokes on his water.  


“She’s very happy around Taka,” Akiko adds and Daisuke hides his burning face.  


“The worst thing a man can do is date a woman he doesn’t love,” Miki tells him. Daisuke pretends to tie his shoelaces so he can hide his guilty countenance.  


Miki nudges his side with the toe of her sneaker. “Don’t be a liar, Dai-kun. That’s not who you are.”  


“You don’t understand,” Daisuke attempts. “It’s not that easy.”  


She shakes her head. “You’re making it complicated. Just be honest.”  


So Daisuke decides to be honest. He breaks up with his girlfriend as nicely as he can, but still gets coffee sloshed on him. At least it wasn’t hot, Daisuke consoles himself. 

But the breakup leaves him irritable and the coffee-sloshing means he’s late to his practice and Mao just has the worst possible timing.  


Noticing his stormy expression, Mao asks, “Are you alright?”  


“No,” Daisuke snaps. Then he adds, “Go away.”  


Mao skitters away instantly and Daisuke immediately feels like an asshole. He wants to call her back and apologize. It isn’t her fault that he’s had a crappy day. He shouldn’t snap at her. He’s upset her for what feels like the hundredth time. His thoughts turn bitter. She’s always happy around Taka. Maybe she belongs with Taka.

  


5 – _My dear, you’ve already found a new love. There is no one like you_.

Daisuke can’t keep the scowl off his face for weeks. Weeks that bleed into months that bleed into years. He can be civil and nothing appears to be wrong on the surface. At ice shows and competitions he plays nice with the rest of Team Japan, especially Mao, but deep down everyone knows something has happened to change their dynamics.  


While Daisuke sulks, Takahiko and Mao only seem to get closer. Daisuke thinks they’re dating, to him there’s no way they couldn’t be, and that only makes him sulk more. They train together frequently and Takahiko and Mao often pair up in ice shows. Daisuke has seen articles quoting the two praising one another. Takahiko says training with Mao motivates him; Mao says training with Takahiko has improved her spinning. Daisuke’s jealousy simmers.  


He blames himself partially, he didn’t capitalize on his own chances to confess his feelings to Mao. He even tried to suppress them by dating someone else. And of course, his own temper flared up at her when Mao had been genuinely concerned about him. He unfortunately can’t control the fact that Takahiko is so boyishly charming and closer to Mao in age. Daisuke always felt old around her. He’s fully prepared to just avoid the two of them until he retires or breaks himself jumping, whichever comes first, but Mao has different plans.  


Mao smacks right into, on purpose, and Daisuke stumbles to avoid falling onto the freezing ice. He glares at her half-heartedly. “Yes, Mao-chan?”  


“Tell me why we suddenly aren’t friends anymore.”  


“What’s sudden about it?” he replies sullenly. “A lot has changed.”  


“I’m sorry about that day. I didn’t realize it had been hard for you; Akiko told me later. But why are you still like this? Did I do something else to upset you?” Mao continues.  


Daisuke shakes his head irritably. “It’s not that.”  


“Then what is it? I don’t like all this tension. We can’t go into the Olympics with all this tension.”  


Daisuke clenches his jaw. He’d made the Olympic team by the skin of his teeth. The humiliation still stings. The whispers that he doesn’t belong on the team, doesn’t deserve to be there, sting.  


“Why bring up the Olympics?” he grunted.  


“Are you stressed about them? Are the comments from the press getting to you?”  


Daisuke thinks it’d be wise to lie about now, because Mao hit the nail on the head. Every time he falls on the ice he can feel the eyes on him. His knee still isn’t totally healed and his fifth place finish cast a questionable light on his selection. The internet titters with snide comments that someone else should’ve made the team. Japan expects him to do well now but he’s feeling more and more unsure of himself with each passing day.  


Unfortunately, the bitterness gets the better of him. “Are you angry at me for being selected?” he barks.  


“Why would I feel that way?” Mao demands.  


Daisuke can feel his blood boiling. “I don’t know, are you upset because your hardworking boyfriend didn’t make the team?”  


Mao’s face transitions to confusion. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Daisuke-kun.”  


That makes Daisuke angrier. “Really? Because you and Takahiko seem pretty close to me. Most people think you’re dating already. Just be honest about it, Mao-chan. After all, we wouldn’t want all of this _tension_ going into the Olympics!”  


Mao glares at him. “You’re reading too much into it. We’re training partners, Daisuke. Anyway, there’s someone else…”  


“I feel bad for him,” Daisuke hisses.  


Mao glares. “Why are you being like this, Daisuke? What did I ever do to you?”  


“Nothing,” he growls. “Absolutely nothing. I’m just bitter and old and I just happen to have a talent for upsetting you no matter what I do.”  


“You’re being an idiot.” Mao snaps.  


“Then why bother talking to an idiot?” Daisuke demands. “Just stay away from me! We’ll both be happier.”  


Daisuke skates off the ice and storms away. He’s going to break soon.  


Akiko finds him commiserating by the vending machines. “You made Mao cry.” She states.  


Daisuke ignores her. “Go away, Akiko-chan.”  


Akiko slaps the back of his head. “She was worried about you, stupid. And furthermore, she isn’t and was never dating Takahiko.”  


“So?”  


“Takahiko asked her out today. She told him no…”  


“That’s great, Akiko-chan. I don’t care.”  


“Don’t. Interrupt. Me. She told him no because she likes someone else.”  


“Why are you telling me this?”  


Akiko heaves a huge sigh. “Idiot! She likes _you_! I have no idea why because you’re such a pain in the ass, but she likes you! And thanks to your theatrics just now you might’ve blown your chance with her.”  


Daisuke freezes. Mao likes _him_? And he just screamed at her?  


Shit. Just.  


Oh _shit_.

  


6 – _Burn this special night into your memory_.

They manage to get through Sochi with minimal social problems. Of course, Daisuke was thoroughly disappointed in himself for his sixth place finish, and he knee was on fire for most of it, but it could’ve been worse. He and Mao had wordlessly reached some sort of peace treaty in the name of nationalism and good sportsmanship. He was trying his hardest to be gentlemanly and polite to her. Lucky for him Mao was a nice person and seemed to be willing to forgive him for his idiocy.  


After the skating gala, after the festivities, back at the Japan house, Daisuke was finally going to confess to Mao. After an endless gala practice spent dancing together, Daisuke knew he couldn’t let his opportunity slip this time. His hand on the small of her back felt too right to give up.  


_Do it. Do it before you lose your nerve_.  


So he waited until they were alone and then opened his mouth. “Mao-chan…”  


Lucky for Daisuke, he never had the chance to lose his nerve because Mao beats him to the punch.  


Mao’s lips against his cut off his confession. Daisuke blinks in surprise before wrapping his arms around her waist. Her fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck. For once Daisuke is glad their heights are so similar, because he can kiss Mao feverishly and with ease. He tilts his head and opens his mouth against hers. He pulls her closer to him and wraps his arms even more tightly around her. He doesn’t want to let go of her ever.  


However, they are forced apart by the sound of Tatsuki’s high pitched raucous laughter. Mao immediately hides her face in Daisuke’s neck. Tatsuki is on the floor, holding his stomach from laughter. Yuzuru and Kanako look mildly scandalized while Akiko smiles at him knowingly.  


Tatsuki wipes at his eyes. “ _Finally_! Oh man, Taka said you wouldn’t grow the balls. He owes me money now.”  


“You bet on this!?” Mao shrieks.  


Tatsuki nods. “Once you told Taka you weren’t interested in him, we started betting on how long it would take for Dai-kun here to muster the courage to ask you out.”  


Mao huffs something that sounds like “stupid boys.” Daisuke thinks that the first thing he’s going to do upon returning to Japan is strangle Takahiko.  


“We were going to ask if you wanted to come and hang out with us but you look occupied.” Tatsuki continues.  


Akiko slaps Tatsuki’s arm lightly. “Leave them alone, Tatsuki.”  


“We’ll see you later, lovebirds! Congratulations!” Tatsuki hoots.  


Daisuke thinks he ought to strangle Tatsuki too.  


When the rest of the figure skating team leaves, Daisuke turns back to Mao. “I love you,” he blurts.  


“About time,” Mao whispers. “I love you too.”  


“Do you want to come back to my room?” Daisuke asks. “To talk!” he adds hastily. “So the others won’t interrupt again.”  


Mao nods and Daisuke leads her back to his room. As captain of Team Japan he was able to have a single room, but it was still threadbare and only equipped with basic amenities. Mao sits down on his bed. Daisuke sits beside her, suddenly feeling awkward. The confession speech he prepared has escaped him and now he’s unsure of what to say to Mao.  


“How long has it been?” Mao asks him.  


“Since what?”  


“Since you’ve liked me. Akiko-chan says it’s been a long time.”  


Daisuke bites his lip. “Five years? Ever since the day I accidently saw you changing.”  


Mao blushes. “That long?”  


He nods. “I couldn’t get you out of my mind back then. I was embarrassed about it, and I thought you were mad at me but you weren’t and I ended up upsetting you.”  


“I wasn’t mad. I thought you were annoyed that I had screamed at you.”  


“No, I was just embarrassed. It took a long time before I could look at you and not think…” Daisuke shifts uncomfortably. “And then we started seeing other people and I could never get it together.”  


Mao nods. “Did you really think Takahiko and I were together?”  


“Yes, and I was really jealous of him.” Daisuke admits. “When Akiko told me what was really going on… I felt like an idiot. I’m sorry, for back then, for yelling at you. I was frustrated at everything and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. And I’m sorry for every other time I made you upset because I was being dumb.”  


“It’s alright. I don’t blame you.” Mao takes Daisuke’s hand and rubs her thumb over his knuckles. “I wasn’t always good to you.”  


“You’re younger, you have the right. But I should know better.” Daisuke replies.  


“But if you liked me for five years, why did you wait to tell me?”  


“I don’t know. At first I thought you were just too young for me, that it would be weird. But then you started dating someone, and I tried dating someone and around that time I thought you and Takahiko had gotten together… I just had a string of really bad timing.”  


“When Taka asked me out and I said no, he asked why I hadn’t done anything about you. He said if you were taking your sweet time why don’t I just take the initiative?”  


“You listened,” Daisuke remarks. “I didn’t expect you to kiss me. I guess we both had good timing.”  


“I guess so.” Mao leans against Daisuke, resting her cheek against his shoulder.  


Daisuke decides to press his luck, just a little. “Can I kiss you again?”  


“Of course.”  


“You know,” Daisuke bites his lip. “Since we’ve liked each other for a while now… don’t we have to make up for lost time?”  


Mao stares at him, and he readies himself for the smack he’s about to be bestowed, but instead Mao grabs him by the collar and drags him in for another heated kiss.

  


Epilogue – _Everywhere I walk with you is beautiful_. 

They’re eating breakfast the next morning in the cafeteria.  


Mao feels Kanako’s fingers prodding her neck. “Mao-chan, did a mosquito bite you? What’s this red mark?”  


The whole table collectively freezes before Tatsuki bursts into laughter.  


“That’s not a mosquito bite, Kanako-chan.” Tatsuki howls. “That’s a…”  


Daisuke jumps up and wraps his hands around Tatsuki’s throat before Tatsuki can finish his sentence. Yuzuru makes a grab for Daisuke’s hands, trying to pry them off of Tatsuki’s throat.  


“No! Yuzuru-kun, get out of my way! This is for the benefit of humanity!” Daisuke roars.  


“Mao-chan!?” Kanako squeaks. Mao stares intently at her plate, face bright red, ignoring her terrified _kohai_ and the attempted murder.  


Akiko just smiles and takes another sip of her juice. Ah, young love.

**Author's Note:**

> Just more technical, timeline stuff:  
> 1\. Daisuke Takahashi was named to the Japanese Olympic squad for Torino 2006. After a strong short program, he fell to eighth place during the free skate. Miki Ando was also part of this Olympic squad.  
> 2\. For Vancouver 2010, Daisuke and Miki again made the Olympic squad. Additional members of this squad included Nobunari Oda, Takahiko Kozuka, Akiko Suzuki, and Mao Asada. Daisuke won bronze in the men's singles. Mao won silver in the ladies' singles.  
> 3\. Around this time, Mao's mother was beginning to become sick. She passed away in 2011 of cirrhosis, a liver disease.  
> 4\. Takahiko and Mao are both coached by the Satos. They train together and have stated in interviews that they are motivated by working together. Mao says her improvements in spinning are attributed to training with Takahiko.  
> 5\. Despite a fifth place finish at the Japanese nationals (behind Takahiko and Nobunari who did not make the Olympic squad) and a lingering knee injury, Daisuke was named to the Sochi 2014 Olympic squad. Some sports analysts said it was because Daisuke is a veteran of the sport.  
> 6\. Daisuke and Mao both placed sixth at Sochi in their respective disciplines. 
> 
> The song prompts for each "time" in order:  
> 1\. New Era by Phantom (ft. Navi)  
> 2\. Face Down by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
> 3\. Irony by 2EYES  
> 4\. Hurricane Drunk by Florence + the Machine  
> 5\. Breath (Japanese Ver.) by SM the Ballad (Changmin and Krystal)  
> 6\. T.O.P. by Girls' Generation  
> 7\. Love Blossom by K. Will


End file.
